‘You just can’t beat an office’

Owner/Director - Sharp Minds Communications Ltd

04 Sep 2018

Modern communications mean many businesses establish themselves nowadays with staff working in remote locations, communicating via email, telephone and video conferencing. For many years, that’s what ATAG Heating Technology did. But trying to discuss spreadsheets and accounts in detail was never ideal, so earlier this year they decided that you just can’t beat an office for facilitating effective team working. One of the first customers in our new Building 80 in Kings Hill Churchill Square Business Centre, they now have suitable office space not only for their core local staff, but also for when managers from other parts of the UK come to visit.

Unique quality offering

Boiler manufacturers ATAG Heating Technology have been going for 70 years, entering the UK market in 2001, but you may not have heard of them. That’s because they’ve opted for a unique business model: concentrating on quality and safety, they only sell to Gas Safe registered installers. ‘Safety is paramount to us; choosing only to sell to Gas Safe installers means we know that all our boilers are fitted correctly and, therefore, that our customers are safe,’ explains National Technical Manager, Sean Keleher.

It’s a unique route to market, but it’s not the only thing that makes ATAG Heating Technology stand out within their sector: ‘Our boilers, which are made in The Netherlands, are of the highest quality. For example, ATAG build boilers to last by constructing them with the best A-grade brass and steel components. We also offer a 10-year guarantee and a unique lifetime replacement guarantee on the main iCon heat exchanger.’

This focus on quality of product and installation has led to the company earning 9.7 average star reviews on Trust Pilot, giving it a rating of ‘excellent.’

Office advantages

With the company’s UK headquarters based in Scotland and a warehouse in York, for many years the team in the south of England had operated from their homes, communicating over the phone and Skype calls. But last year they decided it was time to move into an office: ‘We had been in an office before, so we knew the advantages. Modern technology does facilitate running a team remotely, but when you’re in front of a computer trying to go through a spreadsheet or accounts in detail, nothing really beats being able to look at it together. Yes, an office comes with a cost, but the advantages outweigh the cost.

‘We looked at a number of big buildings, but just really liked the way the whole CapitalSpace office set up at Churchill Square worked. The location in Kings Hill was ideal, the parking is great, there’s a good-sized kitchen and it’s useful to have access to the meeting rooms for when we want to meet with a new client or have 1-2-1 meetings with members of staff. The local supermarket, shops and restaurants are all within walking distance, which is convenient for office supplies for tea and coffee and taking customers for a meal at lunchtime or after working hours.’

Future plans

Having moved into CapitalSpace Churchill Square, Sean and his team can concentrate on their business development: ‘There are only three of us in the office, but we’ve taken a unit for six, so we have room to grow within our current office, but also can expand into a bigger unit within Churchill Square if necessary, and that flexibility to scale up is important for our growth plans. In the meantime, when the other managers come to visit us from York and Halifax, we now have an office where we can host them.

‘We will continue to build the business on our core values of safety and quality. Our aim is to be selling 50,000 boilers a year within five years. To put this in context, there are 1.6 million boilers fitted in the UK every year, with the market leaders, Worcester and Vaillant, each providing about 300,000 of these. So we’re not looking to be a massive player in our market; we want to grow our business sustainably based on our reputation for high-quality assurance.’

With the right office accommodation to facilitate team working – including showers for their lunchtime runner – we’re looking forward to support ATAG Heating Technology as they pursue their goals.